It has been two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic live show.
The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.
A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”
He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans
Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took nine months of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”
